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Photo by Jennifer Donahoe Erika Barrows of Medford shops for bargains at Future Shop's first day of liquidation sales Saturday. Future Shop sale packs 'em in BY VICKI GUARINO Before they could pack the aisles, shoppers packed the sidewalk just to get into Future Shop for the Medford electronics store's liquidation sale. Lines began outside Saturday morning because there were just too many bargain-hungry shoppers. And many found prices to their liking, waiting on checkout lines that stretched into merchandise shelves. A liquidation sale by a Canadian retailer might have caused some shoppers to worry that no one would be around to make good on warranties, but for others the prices were just too good to pass up. "I guess I could always go to Canada," Linda Loogman said as she pulled out an $80 computer scanner. She said she had recently seen one just like it for $150. "Now, if I could get some help," Loogman said, looking for the scarcest commodity in the store -- an idle clerk. "Amazing," said clerk Mikey Bartholomew, "It has been amazing. We have never been this busy. We haven't had a break all day." Bartholomew is among the dozens of Future Shop employees who will be losing their jobs when the sale ends and the shelves are empty. The British Columbia-based retailer is closing all 23 outlets in the United States in the next few months. The announcement was made Tuesday. The company is considering expanding its roster of 81 stores in Canada, where officials say operating costs are lower. The liquidation sale in Medford began Saturday morning, as did traffic and crowds. All merchandise was at least 5 percent off. Some goods were marked down 10 percent. But the discount wasn't enough for many shoppers. "Five percent, big deal," Charlene Leigh of Medford said sarcastically as she waited to check out with a few rolls of fax paper. She had come out with Betty Jensen, also of Medford, to look at computers, but the prices weren't low enough to do anything more than look. But on merchandise with a low price already, the additional markdowns made for some good shopping. "I got a killer deal on this phone," said Chelsea Hamilton, Grants Pass. Nonetheless, she added, the sale could have been better. "I think everybody walked in expecting 50 percent off," Hamilton said. At the back of the store, Erika and Thor Barrows were thinking much the same thing. Thor Barrows was eying a VCR he could get for about $240 now. He said he has seen them elsewhere for $400, but thinks maybe the price will come down more as the liquidation sale wears on. "When it gets to 20 to 25 percent, then it gets more tempting," he said. The sale is expected to continue to move out as much merchandise as possible. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA